Isolating a chicken on antibiotics

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Hi folks, I purchased 8 chicks from MPC which arrived on June 15th. All are thriving and doing very well with the exception of one of my White Plymouth Rocks, which was pasty-butted from day one and never seemed to get over it. I washed her little backside about three times a day for the first 6 weeks and tried every remedy that all you folks on this forum suggested with no real positive results.

When I moved them outside to the coop and run at about 6 weeks I kept up a few of the suggested cures (apple cider vinegar in the water, oatmeal...yogurt) and then at about week 7 decided that perhaps the remedies could be exacerbating the problem rather than helping. I've been having to give her a full bath and blow-dry about once a week since because her backside will become absolutely matted with nasty black clumps of poo.

Today I gave her a bath and took her to the vet. He ruled out internal parasites but said, based on the stool sample, that it looked like she had a bacterial infection and put her on antibiotics (Tylan powder). He also suggested isolating her so that I could monitor what she is eating and drinking and to keep from feeding antibiotics to my entire flock.

So, my question for you all is whether it is best to keep her completely isolated from the rest of the flock in a big dog crate in my garage or whether I should try to create some sort of auxiliary run and coop within the run and coop I have built for the rest of the flocks. I know chickens don't like to be alone and don't know if the stress of being alone could delay her recovery or "put her off her feed".

Suggestions?

 

[maybejoey]

It would be best to keep her in a place where they can see her and she can see them. It will make the re-establishing of pecking order less dramatic.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I agree with your plan to somehow making a "pen within a pen." Isolated but not isolated. Ensure there is a buffer between her and her flockmates. They will pretty much ignore her anyway and go about their business. It will also cut back making your isolated hen stressful, pertinent in her recovery. I have one large pen with 4 pens within the large pen...they sure have come in handy when needed. They have many uses; growout pens for growing pullets, chickens isolated for bumblefoot recovery, dustings etc...
Trim back the feathers and fluff on your hens rear end with scissors and you wont have to bathe her anymore. Since you are dealing with a bacterial infection and using tylan, I recommend feeding her with high powered probiotics mixed with buttermilk in her feed to make a mash and give it to her to eat.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Quote:
I'll go about doing that now. I my run is pretty spacious but the coop itself is 4'X'8 and it will be a challenge to set something up inside. Do you think a cat carrier up on the shelf above the laying boxes would be good? (see photo)

I don't know if I could put food and water in there at night without her just knocking it over and having to sleep in wet bedding.

Also please provide more information on the high powered probiotics you mentioned. Would I be looking for something specifically for chickens or just stopping off at GNC or The Vitamin Cottage and purchasing one meant for humans?

And THANKS!

 

[centrarchid]

On treatment side, consider including black oil sunflower seeds to make up about 5 to 10% of diet. Hulls will provide bulk fiber that may help restore normal function of the digestive tract, specifically the hindgut. Other vegetative fiber sources may also help. You want it relatively intact. Make certain adequate amounts of grit available.

This will treat ultimate cause of problem rather than overriding an undesirable bacterial population by using antibiotics alone.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I'll go about doing that now. I my run is pretty spacious but the coop itself is 4'X'8 and it will be a challenge to set something up inside. Do you think a cat carrier up on the shelf above the laying boxes would be good? (see photo)https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/98323_dsci1883.jpg


I don't know if I could put food and water in there at night without her just knocking it over and having to sleep in wet bedding.

Also please provide more information on the high powered probiotics you mentioned. Would I be looking for something specifically for chickens or just stopping off at GNC or The Vitamin Cottage and purchasing one meant for humans?

And THANKS!

There's no need to put food and water in the cat carrier at night, they sleep at night. Ensure she gets food (probiotics)and water in the morning and all during the day. If you use the cat carrier, tie it down somehow to prevent it from tipping over...you just never know. There are baby parrot probiotics that you can purchase at a pet store or ordered online to give her. Probiotics help establish and promote good bacteria in the gut flora. Somehow the bad bacteria has taken over for whatever reason...usually caused by some type of stress...probiotics restore the good bacteria. It's a balance between good and bad bacteria. Bad bacteria wins more often than not and the bird goes downhill. I think you've caught it early enough though. The tylan in conjunction with the probiotics should work. Good luck.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Quote:
Your information raised another question with me. While it's kind of late to be asking for tonight, if the main reason I'm isolating her is so that she is the only one drinking the antibiotic treated water, and since you say they shouldn't need food or water at night, and since all 8 have been together since their first day, could I just let the problem chicken spend the night inside the coop with her flock-mates and then isolate her in the morning once she has access to the medicated water and her food? It sure would be easier for me, and probably more comfortable for her if I just let her spend the night as usual. What do you think?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Well, time to lock them up for the night. I guess I'll keep the one being treated separate, but if anyone out there want to tell me that it would be OK for her to be in with the others during the night, since they won't have access to water or food, I'd be inclined to take their advice for tomorrow night.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I recommend you put her in the cat carrier. If you let her sleep with the others, she will poop on the floor during the night. Your other chickens will walk in it the next morning and could possibly pick up the bacterial infection... too risky. You'll need to clean the cat carrier each morning using bleachwater.